Machine for cleaning blackboard-erasers



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. TRAVIS. MACHINE FOR CLEANING BLAGKBOARD ERASERS.

No. 353,387. Patented Nov 30, 1886.;

Wz'inezsaes.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J., TRAVIS. MACHINE FOR CLEANING .BLACKBOARD ERASBRS.

- No. 353,887. Patented Nov. 30, 1886.

N. PETERS. Phmo-umn n lm, Washington, D. c.

UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JEROME TRAVIS, OF NORTH ADAMS, MICHIGAN.

MACHINE FOR CLEANING BLACKBOARD-ERASERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 353,387, dated November 30, 1886.

Application filed October 26, 1885. Serial No. 181,018.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JEROME TRAVIS, a cit-izen of the United States, residing in North Adams, county of Hillsdale, and State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Machine for Cleaning BlackboardFrasers, of which the followingjs a specification.

The object of this invention is to produce a device which maybe used in school-rooms for thoroughly cleansing blackboarderasers of chalk without making a disturbing noise and without raising a cloud composed of fine particles of chalk, not only annoying, but deleterious to health, and in such manner that the chalk accumulated by the machine may be,

conveniently removed therefrom at will.

A further object is to have the machine adapted for successfully cleansing erasers varying not only inarea but thickness in cleansing-surfaoe, and, finally, to render such a machine compact and convenient of operation by certain details of construction, hereinafter de scribed, and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which-.

Figure 1 illustrates a central longitudinal section of a machine for cleansing blackboarderasers embodying my invention; Fig. 2, a top plan View of the same, with the eraser removed; Fig. 3, a central transverse section of the same; Fig. 4., a top plan view, partly in section, of the eraser-holder detached from the machine; Fig. 5, a longitudinal section of the same on line :0 at, Fig. 4.

Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the drawings.

The casing, to which is secured and upon which is mounted the several parts of the ma chine, consists of parallel side boards, A, and opposing end boards, B, rigidily secured together in any suitable manner to receive be tween them and constitute the bearings for the rotating cleansing-brush D, cylindrical in form.

To the end boards, B, are secured, by means of a set-screw, a, working in elongated slots 1),

the supports 0 of the bed-plate, whereby is permitted a vertical adjustment of the bedplate with reference to the cleansingbrush, as hereinafter described.

Below the end boards of the casing is a drawer or dust-receptacle, E, provided on opposing sides with flanges c, engaging corre- (No model.)

a bed-plate, F, provided, centrally and trans-V versely of its length, with an opening, 8, directly above the revolving brush and grooved upon its opposing inner sides, as shown at f, to form a guideor way for an eraser-holder, G, which is moved back and forth to present the entire surface of the eraser to thebrush when in operation. This holder is composed of two end pieces or blocks, 9 g, engaging the guideway f and connected together by elastic parallel straps H, between which the cleansing-brush is accessible, while at the same time the holder is not only adjustable to cleansers varying in length and width, but a tight joint is provided along the sides of the cleanser, successful-1y preventing the dust rising from the brush during the cleansing operation. similar joint is made between the ends of the cleanser and holder by elastic pieces I, attached to the blocks 9 g.

In practice it is not found desirable that the distance between the blocks of a holder should be normally less than is necessary for a minimum length of the cleaner, and hence below the elastic bands or joints the blocks are provided with projecting arms h it next the side edges of the'guideways f and moving therein, which limits the movement of the blocks toward each other and maintains the ends of the holder in such a position that the cleaners are most readily and conveniently inserted in the holder. The ends of these arms and the outer ends of these blocks are preferablycovered with some soft fabric to insure tight joints, preventing dust rising from between them, and so that the striking of the arms together or the outer ends of block against the end pieces, i, of the guideway will not be productive of noise.

A blackboard-cleaner may be conveniently inserted in the-holder by taking the cleaner in one hand and maintaining it in an inclined position while inserting one end in the holder, then with the other hand drawing back the other end of the holder and lowering the cleaner to its operative position, when, by releasing the end of the holder held by the hand, it will move forward and engage the cleaner, which is then firmly held between the opposing ends of the holder, and mainly owing to the elasticity of their connecting-bands H, which, with the elastic end bands, closely embrace all sides of the cleaner.

In this connection it is proper to observe that the bands H are of such a width as to embrace and form a closev joint with cleaners varying materially in width, and hence the machine requires no alteration or addition for successfully operating on cleaners varying materially in size. After the cleaneris inserted in the holder the rotary brush is set in operation by crank-handle J upon a shaft, J, journaled in the side boards of the machine, to which a cylindrical brush is rigidly but removably attached, so that the brush may be renewed, when desired. As the brush is revolved the holder is reciprocated and the cleaner moved back and forth over and in contact with the brush until thoroughly cleaned, after whichit is removed, and the holder pushed to one extreme or the other of its guideway, so that one or the other of its blocks, 9 g,will close the opening to the brush and prevent the dust accumulations from the brush-chamber from rising and escaping.

In practice this cleaning-machineis secured to the wall or supported upon a suitable stand in a school-room near the blackboard, so that it may be used at any time by the students at work upon the board. The advantages of such a machine are obvious and many, for it not only thoroughly and quickly removes the chalk accumulations in the blackboard-cleaners and promotes tidiness in the school-room, but prevents the finer particles of dust and chalk from rising and disfiguring and injuringthe clothes of the student,and being inhaled into the lungs and irritating the eyes.

So far as I am now advised, this is the-first machine for successfully removing chalk accumulations from a blackboard eraser,and my invention is therefore not limited to the details of construction shown and described, for

my invention includes, broadly, a moving brush in the closed receptacle, provided with an opening over which the eraser may be held in contact with said brush with or without the details of construction herein shown and above described.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

l. A receptacle provided with an opening in one side thereof and a revolving brush therein,in combination with a movable cleanerholder, substantially as described.

2. The receptacle having an opening in one side thereof and the revolving brush in said receptacle, in combination with an adjustable holder receiving the blackboard-cleaner held in contact with the brush, substantially as described.

3. The receptacle having an opening in one side thereof and the rotary brush, a cleanerholder, and a bed-plate or guideway supporting said holder, substantially as described.

in, anda bed-plate having an opening providing access to the brush, in combination with a holder reciprocating on said bed plate and adapted to close said opening, substantially as described.

JEROME TRAVIS.

Witnesses:

MILTON FOOTE, L. E. Ross. 

